2020 LSU Tigers baseball team

2020 LSU Tigers baseball
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22 (tie)
CB	No. 22
Record	12–5 (0–0 SEC)
Head coach	Paul Mainieri (14th season)
Assistant coaches	Alan Dunn Nolan Cain Eddie Smith
Home stadium	Alex Box Stadium
Seasons ←  2019 2021  →

2020 Southeastern Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Eastern
No. 1 Florida  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			16	–	1		.941
Tennessee  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			15	–	2		.882
No. 3 Georgia  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			14	–	4		.778
South Carolina  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			12	–	4		.750
No. 6 Vanderbilt  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			13	–	5		.722
Missouri •  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			11	–	5		.688
Kentucky  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			11	–	6		.647
Western
No. 8 Ole Miss  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			16	–	1		.941
Alabama  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			16	–	1		.941
Texas A&M  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			15	–	3		.833
No. 17 Mississippi State  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			12	–	4		.750
No. 18 Auburn  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			13	–	5		.722
No. 19 LSU  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			12	–	5		.706
No. 14 Arkansas  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			11	–	5		.688
‡ – Tournament champion – ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions As of January 25, 2024 [1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2020 LSU Tigers baseball team will represent Louisiana State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Tigers played their home games at Alex Box Stadium.

On March 11, the Southeastern Conference released a news statement announcing the restriction of fans at all SEC home spring athletic games, including baseball. On March 12, the Southeastern Conference released a new statement announcing the suspension of all athletics until as early as March 30. These announcements came after the COVID-19 pandemic ^[2] has swept throughout the United States. On March 16, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards announced the cancelation, closure, and postponements for facilities and events with more than 50 people until April 13, thus stopping all baseball games in the state of Louisiana until that date. ^[3]

Previous season

The Tigers finished 40–26 overall, and 17–13 in the conference. The Tigers won the Baton Rouge Regional in the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball tournament before losing the Baton Rouge Super Regional to Florida State.

Preseason

SEC Coaches poll

The SEC coaches poll was released on February 6, 2020 with the Tigers predicted to finish tied for third in the Western Division. ^[4]

Media poll (West)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Arkansas	82 (5)
2	Mississippi State	73 (4)
T–3	Auburn	67 (2)
T–3	LSU	67 (3)
5	Texas A&M	44
6	Ole Miss	38
7	Alabama	21

Preseason All-SEC teams

First Team

• Cade Beloso – First Baseman
• Daniel Cabrera – Outfielder

Reference: ^[4]

Personnel

Roster

2020 LSU Tigers roster [5]
	Pitchers 10 - Eric Walker - Junior 11 - Landon Marceaux - Sophomore 18 - Cole Henry - Sophomore 21 - Nick Storz - Sophomore 26 - AJ Labas - Sophomore 27 - Matthew Beck - Senior 28 - Devin Fontenot - Junior 29 - Chase Costello - Sophomore 30 - Trent Vietmeier - Junior 32 - Aaron George - Senior 37 - Brandon Kaminer - Junior 44 - Jaden Hill - Sophomore 46 - Rye Gunter - Sophomore 47 - Jacob Hasty - Freshman 52 - Ma'Khail Hilliard - Junior 57 - Michael Lagarrigue - Sophomore		Catchers 13 - Saul Garza - Junior 20 - Alex Milazzo - Freshman 25 - Hayden Travinski - Freshman 45 - Braden Doughty - Junior Infielders 2 - Zach Arnold - Freshman 3 - Hal Hughes - Junior 4 - Cade Doughty - Freshman 16 - Collier Cranford - Freshman 17 - Zack Mathis - Junior 24 - Cade Beloso - Sophomore 38 - Tom Biggs - Freshman		Outfielders 7 - Giovanni Digiacomo - Sophomore 8 - Daniel Cabrera - Junior 9 - Wes Toups - Freshman 14 - Maurice Hampton Jr. - Freshman 22 - Mitchell Sanford - Freshman Utility 5 - Drew Bianco (INF/OF) - Sophomore 6 - Gavin Dugas (INF/OF) - Sophomore 23 - CJ Willis (1B/OF) - Sophomore

Coaching staff

2020 LSU Tigers coaching staff [5]
Name	Position
Paul Mainieri	Head coach
Alan Dunn	Associate head coach
Nolan Cain	Assistant Coach/recruiting coordinator
Eddie Smith	Hitting Coach
Nate Fury	Director of Baseball Operations
Travis Roy	Strength and conditioning coordinator
Jamie Tutko	Director of Video and Scouting
Hunter Kiel	Undergraduate Assistant Coach
Cory Couture	Sr. Associate Athletic Trainer

Schedule and results

2020 LSU Tigers Baseball Game Log
Regular Season
February (7–4) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC record February 14 Indiana No. 11 Alex Box Stadium Baton Rouge, LA W 8–1 Henry (1–0) Sommer (0–1) None SECN+ 11,421 1–0 – February 15 Indiana No. 11 Alex Box Stadium W 7–4 Vietmeier (1–0) Bierman (0–1) Fontenot (1) SECN+ 10,859 2–0 – February 15 Indiana No. 11 Alex Box Stadium L 2–7 Tucker (1–0) Labas (0–1) None SECN+ 10,508 2–1 – February 18 Southern No. 11 Alex Box Stadium W 8–3 Hilliard (1–0) Page (0–2) None SECN+ 9,761 3–1 – February 19 at Nicholls No. 11 Ray E. Didier Field Thibodaux, LA L 2–4 Theriot (1–0) Walker (0–1) Taylor (1) CST 2,641 3–2 – February 21 Eastern Kentucky No. 11 Alex Box Stadium L 0–2 Davenport III (1–0) Henry (1–1) Abbott (2) SECN+ 9,806 3–3 – February 22 Eastern Kentucky No. 11 Alex Box Stadium W 6–3 Marceaux (1–0) Ferris (0–1) Fontenot (2) SECN+ 10,381 4–3 – February 23 Eastern Kentucky No. 11 Alex Box Stadium W 10–2 Labas (1–1) Lewis (1–1) None SECN+ 9,868 5–3 – February 26 Louisiana Tech No. 11 Alex Box Stadium W 7–1 Kaminer (1–0) Martinez (1–1) None SECN+ 9,912 6–3 – February 28 vs. Texas Shriners College Classic No. 11 Minute Maid Park Houston, TX W 4–3 Henry (2–1) Elder (2–1) Hill (1) CST 15,735 7–3 – February 29 vs. Baylor Shriners College Classic No. 11 Minute Maid Park L 4–6 Leckich (1–0) Kaminer (1–1) Boyd (4) CST N/A 7–4 –
March Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC record March 1 vs. No. 22 Oklahoma Shriners College Classic No. 11 Minute Maid Park L 0–1 Acker (1–1) Labas (1–2) None CST N/A 7–5 – March 3 Southeastern Louisiana No. 21 Alex Box Stadium W 6–3 Kaminer (2–1) Dugas (0–3) Fontenot (3) SECN+ 10,065 8–5 – March 6 UMass Lowell No. 21 Alex Box Stadium W 11–2 Beck (1–0) Funaro (0–2) None SECN+ 10,254 9–5 – March 7 UMass Lowell No. 21 Alex Box Stadium W 12–2 Marceaux (2–0) Duffley (1–3) Hill (2) SECN+ 10,684 10–5 – March 8 UMass Lowell No. 21 Alex Box Stadium W 6–4 Fontenot (1–0) Becker (0–2) None SECN+ 10,321 11–5 – March 11 South Alabama No. 19 Alex Box Stadium W 4–1 SECN+ 12–5 – March 13 at Ole Miss Swayze Field Oxford, MS Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic March 14 at Ole Miss Swayze Field Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 15 at Ole Miss Swayze Field Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 18 St. Thomas (FL) Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 20 Mississippi State Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 21 Mississippi State Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 22 Mississippi State Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 24 Tulane Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 27 at Tennessee Lindsey Nelson Stadium Knoxville, TN Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 28 at Tennessee Lindsey Nelson Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic March 29 at Tennessee Lindsey Nelson Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
April Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC record April 1 Louisiana–Monroe Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 3 Vanderbilt Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 4 Vanderbilt Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 5 Vanderbilt Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 7 Louisiana Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 9 at Kentucky Kentucky Proud Park Lexington, KY Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 10 at Kentucky Kentucky Proud Park Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 11 at Kentucky Kentucky Proud Park Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 13 Grambling State Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 14 McNeese State Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 17 Arkansas Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 18 Arkansas Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 19 Arkansas Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 21 Lamar Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 24 South Carolina Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 25 South Carolina Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 26 South Carolina Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic April 28 Northwestern State Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
May Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC record May 1 at Texas A&M Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park College Station, TX Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 2 at Texas A&M Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 3 at Texas A&M Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 8 Alabama Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 9 Alabama Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 10 Alabama Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 12 New Orleans Alex Box Stadium Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 14 at Auburn Plainsman Park Auburn, AL Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 15 at Auburn Plainsman Park Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May 16 at Auburn Plainsman Park Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Post-Season
SEC Tournament Date Opponent Seed Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SECT record May 19–24 Hoover Metropolitan Stadium Hoover, AL Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Cancelled/Suspended Bold = LSU team member

Schedule Source: ^[6]

*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.

Rankings

Main article: 2020 NCAA Division I baseball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
Coaches' [7]	12	12*		22	19
Baseball America [8]	14	13	14	20	20
Collegiate Baseball^ [9]	11	12	19	22	19
NCBWA† [10]	13	13	16	21	18
D1Baseball [11]	11	11	11	21	19

^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

2020 MLB draft

Main article: 2020 MLB Draft

Player	Position	Round	Overall	MLB Team
Cole Henry	RHP	2	55	Washington Nationals
Daniel Cabrera	OF	B	62	Detroit Tigers

References

1. "2020 Standings". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
2. "COVID-19 Update: SEC Suspends Athletics Competition". LSU Tigers.
3. "Louisiana to close bars, movies, restaurant dining rooms to slow spread of coronavirus". WWL.
4. "Vanderbilt picked to win 2020 SEC Baseball Championship" . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
5. "2020 Baseball Roster". LSU Tigers. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
6. "LSU Reveals 2020 Baseball Schedule" (Press release). LSU Athletics. September 17, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
7. "USA Today Coaches' Poll". Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
8. "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
9. "2019 Collegiate Baseball Polls - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper". baseballnews.com. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
10. "NCBWA > News". sportswriters.net. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
11. "College Baseball Rankings News & Analysis". d1baseball.com. Retrieved February 17, 2020.